Studying at sea, what was I thinking

I am currently doing a Certificate IV in Screen and Media and have been asked to write some blog posts related to media. Instead of writing about Participatory Journalism[1] such as the importance of the citizen video in the George Floyd trial, or about the changing face of journalism due to all the wonderful technology at our fingertips[2], I, in my wisdom, have decided to write about something a little closer to home for me, Education in the digital age. The following link to Oppida, an online education agency’s blog post about digital learning is a great read[3]. https://www.oppida.co/blog/education-in-the-digital-age/ .
I think you may be interested in the pros and cons of deciding to study online while living the lifestyle that I do. As a fifty something, semi retiree living aboard a boat full-time while travelling around Australia’s beautiful coastline there are many reasons why I slap my head and wonder “why do I do this to myself”. I do not need the hassle or worry of submitting an assessment on time, I am probably never going to use this qualification and maybe most of all: “who is actually going to read or enjoy the rubbish I write?” On the other hand, the joyous feeling I get when my hard work results in a satisfactory outcome and positive feedback, I leap around excitedly thinking “ my brain is not quite as dead as I thought it was”.
The developments in digital technology have enabled me to choose what, how and when I learn. In my next post I will attempt to explain why studying at sea can be problematic.
Photograph by Elizabeth Reeve, Blog Author
[1] By Denetra Walker, Ph.D. student, Denetra on Twitter
[2] Alice Sherritt, Jan 3 2017, https://medium.com/@alicesherritt/the-changing-face-of-journalism-bef6042322d2
[3] Kyla Raby, https://www.oppida.co/blog/education-in-the-digital-age/